October 2004
I have coverplan for my laptop until Dec 31st this year. It's 3 years old then, and to be honest I'd quite like a nice shiny new one!
It is covered for accidental damage, and if they can't fix it in 6 weeks, I get a new one.
Flatmate has already accidentally fed the laptop half a bottle of wine...they just fixed it and sent it back (minus power adaptor which still hasn't appeared, but lovely Mark sorted that out!)
I dropped it yesterday, and the casing is cracked in several places, and the screen dims at random. Add to this random bouts of freezing and you have one poorly laptop. Question is, is it poorly enough to be scrapped?
What more can I do and still make it accidental?
(Ever so slightly t.i.c by the way!) Read more
Hi,
After having a busy weekend under my 2.8 1982 Granada two weeks ago waxoiling the chassis/wheelarches etc., I managed to get some on the exhaust. I have both black underbody sealant and clear waxoil on parts of the exhaust and after a good blast over the local Birchwood expressway (dual carriageway over the M6) near Warrington this morning, you should have seen the smoke produced by it all burning on the hot exhaust pipes! I got a surprise when I looked in my rear view mirror!
When I got some blobs of both on the exhaust pipe while spraying the waxoil/brushing on the sealer, I tried to wipe off what I could, but ended up smearing it along the pipe. Waxoiling and underbody sealing is not a job I fancy doing again for a while, it was incredibly messy!
Will the deposits eventually burn off? Anyone else done this? It doesn't make the car smell nice inside!
regards,
Richard Read more
About 15 years ago I met the MD of a company who was doing business with my father. IIRC both Waxoyl (Finnegans) and Hammerrite were all part of the same group.
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
someone please help me. even dvla cant tell me..... any one know what reg ? Read more
Tom
I think you would be surprised at how many vehicles over 25 years old survive on our roads.
The Government have put up many arguments for not allowing the rolling 25 years but none of them are IMHO of any substance.
I'm just glad my V8 Rover (P5B) is over 25 y.o. - In fact 34 this year!
Hi,
I am trying to fix a Matiz, it wont start basically.
I took off the distributor cap and rotor arm (eventually) they are in pretty bad condition, i cleaned up the arm and cap, put them back and tried it again, but still wont start.
I have checked that fuel is comong through, and it is.
There is a spark, but its a weak one, and intermitant, looking on other forums, it could be a magnetic sensor that sends a signal to the coil?????????? This could also be a problem.
Im just wondering whether it is worth replacing the dizzy cap and rotor if it is something else.
Could someone give me some advice on where this sensor is and how much a new one would cost.
Thanks Read more
Sorry i took so long to get back to you.
But i ended up buying a dizzy cap and rotor arm, as it turned out i found that the rotor arm had a crack in it.
I replaced the parts and it fired up first time!!!!!
Thanks for your advice, i shall come back again if there is anymore problems.
Thanks,
Paul.
As my car was lacking power/hesitating acceleration & misfiring, I did an oil flush & spark plug change in my vauxhall, changing the oil from a mineral to a part synthetic 10W-40 Castrol Magnatec and the spark plugs from NGK to Bosch Super 4.
However, the problem still persists - I checked the spark plugs 2 weeks later & all were slightly sooty and one was oily.
I also added STP fuel injector to the petrol tank to clena out the fuel system.
Do u think I should do a compression test or could there be a problem with the choice of oil & spark plug?
I went to Vauxhall for a diagnostic check which was fine.
Please help.
Read more
Ticking noise, plus oiling up on one cylinder sounds to me like it's broken a piston ring. It might be possible to drop the sump and pull the offending piston out the bottom past the crank shaft - but you might sill be looking at an engine rebuild or replacement.
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RichardW
Is it illogical? It must be Citroen....
I have a 10 month old C3 (1.4 Desire 75bhp) which has done just on 8000 miles. The clutch has started slipping, so I took to the dealership to take a look.
They say the clutch has burned out and needs to be replaced, and that this is down to wear and tear. They would like a shade under £400 to replace it.
My wife drives the car mainley, and I know she is not prone to 'riding' the clutch, and has had no such problems with either of her previous cars, in which she covered more than 40000 miles.
Anybody else agree with me that this is unacceptable? If it is wear and tear, they must be using increadibly poor components in it's manufacture.
I've written to Citroen UK, who say it's tough, basically. They go by what the dealers advise.
Any suggestions for the best way to take this forward? It seems I only have my feeling it shouldn't have gone knowing how it's been driven (which I can't prove), against their mechanics saying it's just worn out. Read more
It's things like this where people need to be more aware of the Small Claims Court. If I was in the same situation as your friend I'd have had the dealer in there bent backwards over a chair.
She's had the trauma of being in an accident where they could easily be said to be completely at fault, yet them almost seem to come out of it winning.
Honestjohn - I know the site can't offer legal advice, but perhaps an article detailing the sort of things that the SCC can be helpful with when dealing with dealers like this would be very useful!
Over the last few weeks, I've had an occasional problem where the illumination for the dashboard (indicator panel, clock and radio) didn't come on for the first few minutes and then worked okay.
Since yesterday morning, it doesn't work at all. However some of the lights still work: dipped/full headlights, indicators, handbrake, electric windows, radio controls on steering wheel, ignition lights on dashboard, hazard lights.
I though it must be a loose/blown fuse but from the handbook, there isn't a fuse that controls all of and only the non-functioning bits. It can't be a bulb unless several have gone at exactly the same time.
Everything else seems to be working okay.
At the moment I find it only inconvenient (but I can't see the speedo) and don't feel too enthusiastic about sending it to the garage which will no doubt be very costly.
Any ideas as to what the problem might be and if I'm likely to make it worse by ignoring it for a bit?
Thanks
Read more
2003 Xsara Petrol - Whilst testing fuel sendor as gauge is reading faulty when all of a sudden the dashboard lights and illumination stopped working - any idea's if this has a fuse and where it would be?
The thermometer in the car is giving readings that are obviously wrong ie 50 and 60 degrees and sometimes just blank. Does anyone know of a fault or where the sensor is located on the car
REGARDS Read more
No mention of the age of the Astra. On newer Vauxhall's, the sensor is located just below the front numberplate, and is attached to the middle of the bumper.
I am having problems with the direction indicators of my 1999 T Vectra 1.8, or more precisely the right hand side indicators. More & more frequently the RHS indicator stays on (not flashing) but the fault is cleared by switching on the hazard indicators then off. Sometimes re-applying the RHS indicator will clear it but often not.
Has anyone come across this fault before?
Read more
Just had a problem with my Vectra not starting - engine cranks but will not fire!
This started on Sunday night having moved the car a few yards so the engine did not get warm. Charged the battery just in case it was a bit weak after trying to start but that wasn't the problem and still the same Monday morning.
The car has now been diagnosed as a sticking throttle valve which confused the engine management! Prior to this the engine was taking a little longer to start (similar to BrianRH) and was lacking power. I am not sure that the two are related as I have not talked to the garage since yesterday. I will report back any useful information.
The garage is cleaning the valve to see how it goes but a new one will be £300
Hi, Does any one know the law with regard to turning on flashing beacons when "spectacle lifting" a car when using a recovery truck?. Is it when just loading or unloading or when the disabled vehicle is hooked up and on tow? , I have seen the AA/rac towing vehicles with both beacons on and off , Just wonder is it down to the driver/operator or is there a firm law? Read more
All noted....but if you did happen to break down in the circumstances described above, and you had a bright beacon in the boot, would you not use it (assuming it was safe and you took normal precautions)? If you're car is stationary in a running lane with a flat tyre or some serious malfunction then surely it's better to do something rather than nothing. It's got to be better than nothing. We're told to wear something bright (like a motorway jacket or vest) if we breakdown....would you not use one of them either?
Not having a dig but keen to know what others think.
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I am an idiot. Disregard that last post as you're already up to that stage. Not familar with the higher models but have you tried taking the SIM card out? It may revert to using another phone to dial.
Again, sorry for being a moron.
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Adam